


Tired Nature's Sweet Restorer

by Mara



Category: Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-02 18:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8679262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mara/pseuds/Mara
Summary: Something is wrong with Ivan, but what?





	

**Author's Note:**

> I suspect this isn't exactly the story Shamus had in mind, but it's the closest I can get. I'm hoping I haven't forgotten something from canon that contradicts any of this. ::crosses fingers::
> 
> (Thanks to Shamus for catching one canon contradiction and providing the fix!)

It was ridiculous, but it still bugged Kendall. Glancing up from her work in the base, she caught a glimpse of Ivan sparring with Koda and she had to look down. There was something wrong with Ivan, something he wasn't telling her and it bugged Kendall to no end.

Ivan was happy and cheerful and helpful (sometimes a little too helpful), as well as surprisingly good at jokes given the 800-year time difference, but she couldn't help the feeling that there was something else going on. Sometimes there was a look in his eye or a heaviness to his expression that cleared as soon as he noticed someone looking. Nobody else seemed to notice, but it was possible she spent more time looking at him than the others.

He came to her bed willingly enough and—even in the privacy of her head, she had to blush—he had a good time when he was there, but it never failed that she fell asleep first. And when she awoke, no matter the time, he was gone.

She'd tried to talk to him about it but once she'd managed to explain what she was asking without stuttering, he smiled broadly and spoke of knights needing to be prepared and chivalry and her reputation.

As he said it, she knew it was a line of bullshit, but she couldn't figure out how to call him on it, so she let it go.

But Kendall Morgan wasn't in the habit of hiding from hard truths and she wasn't going to let her…lover hide from them either, no matter how prettily he avoided the issue. She hid another blush by peeking into a microscope.

The problem was that all her evidence was minor and circumstantial. She needed more data.

* * *

It took a week of subtle questioning to determine that while nobody would admit to seeing anything wrong with his mood, they also hadn't seen Ivan in normal (non-spelled) sleep. He had never napped with Koda, even, which made him the only member of the team who hadn't. (Heck, after a particularly nasty battle, even Prince Phillip once got dragged into the cave to rest and hadn't _that_ been amusing?)

With a frown, she pulled up his medical records. She'd studied him thoroughly when he joined the team and several times since during various monster attacks, but maybe she'd missed something. She brought up the reports to see if anything would catch her eye. 

After a few minutes, she decided to switch to MRIs and even more high-tech scans that had no official medical name, placing them side-by-side on-screen for easy comparison over time. There were a few injuries she'd treated and some older ones he'd explained, but nothing that looked unusual for a high-performance athlete whose nutrition had been less than perfect in his early years.

He was human, she was sure of that. So what was he hiding? What was he _doing_ when he was supposed to be sleeping? 

Her concentration was so complete that she didn't hear the footsteps behind her until the voice spoke in her ear. "Is there a problem?"

She flailed in surprise, nearly knocking a nearby microscope off the table. "No! No, of course not."

Half-turned in her chair, she saw Ivan's smile as he bent over her. "Then why are you frowning so fiercely at your machines. What harm have—" He froze as he looked at the screen in front of her.

"Um…" She hurriedly began closing all the open documents. "I was reviewing some reports. I wanted to be sure you were healthy."

"I'm fine."

Shivering at his cool and almost angry expression, she retorted, "Would you tell me if you weren't?"

He stood straight, expression now unreadable. "I must go."

"Wait! Ivan!" But he strode past his startled-looking teammates and was gone.

"What happen?" Koda asked into the tense silence.

"I don't really know." Kendall crossed her arms. That was…odd. Alarming, even.

"Um, should I go after him?" Tyler asked after a moment.

"No." Kendall clenched her fists against her chest. "I will."

As she strode out of the room, she was almost certain she heard Chase say to someone "Told ya, mate. Pay up."

* * *

It didn't take Kendall long to find Ivan, which was good, because every moment he was out of her sight she became more alarmed at what she would find. He was on the roof, one of his favorite places at the museum, which had seemed odd to her until he explained it was the closest he had to a parapet overlooking the area around the castle. Apparently he felt better when he could see what was coming. Reasonable for a knight, she supposed.

But today she was concerned to find him standing by the edge, looking toward the park with a far-off expression. He didn't turn at her approach, although she knew he was aware of her.

"Ivan?"

"I suppose so," he said quietly.

"What?"

"Never mind," he said, whirling and smiling at her like he always did. But this time she found it annoying, rather than endearing.

"Stop that," she snapped.

He raised an eloquent eyebrow.

"Stop pretending everything is fine."

"I have no idea what you mean."

She stomped the rest of the way toward him and poked him in the chest. "You do. You've been acting oddly and I demand that you tell me what's going on." His smile disappeared in a flash and it took all her force of will to not take a step back. "Please tell me," she said, softening her tone. "At least explain why you won't talk to me!"

His eyes widened for an instant at that and he seemed to be considering it. "I must remain in the field as a Ranger."

"Of course. Ivan, I promise you, unless you are an active danger to the others, you are a Ranger and you will stay one." Leaning forward, she tried to reassure him. "The Energem chose you and it has shown no signs of rejection. Trust the Energem, even if you can't bring yourself to trust me."

He nodded once, solemn.

"I can't take your Energem away," she repeated. "I want to help you."

"You cannot help."

She poked his chest again, getting more annoyed. "How do you know?"

Opening his mouth, he started to speak, then stopped, face twisting in confusion.

"How do you know that the problem is something that 21st century technology or Ranger technology can't fix?"

He blinked. "I…"

"Right. You don't. So tell me. Whatever it is, it can't be worse than my imagination."

Ivan turned, looking over the park again and Kendall held her breath. "I am having a more difficult time adjusting than I hoped."

"In what way?"

"I was always an easy-going fellow, quick with humor and a smile. It's more difficult to conjure up that man than it should be."

Frowning at his back, she thought. "That's not unusual."

His voice grew softer and she strained to hear him over the sound of cars and tourists below. "I find that sometimes it is difficult to feel anything at all."

That…didn't sound good.

"The memories in the night are the worst. I awake from them…but I'm not certain where I am."

"Nightmares. We call them nightmares. It's a term from the witch hunts—never mind. They're bad dreams." She wanted to slap her hand over her mouth to stop the babbling.

"During the day, I can remain in control of my thoughts. Generally. Although…"

Kendall waited, literally biting her lip to keep from speaking and interrupting his thought.

"I don't think…" There was the tiniest tremor in his hands where they lay against his legs. "I don't think I could be made to wear a suit of armor again."

So lightheaded she had to struggle not to faint, Kendall swayed on her feet. It was so obvious, how could she possibly have missed it? "You have PTSD," she said faintly through the haze obscuring her vision. "Because of what Fury did to you."

"What?" His sharp tone cleared her mind.

"It's called post-traumatic stress disorder. It's something that happens to people who have suffered traumas, such as being in wars, nearly dying…being kidnapped or trapped. Things like that. Everything you just described, they're symptoms of PTSD. Do you have flashbacks, er, sudden feelings as if you're back trapped inside Fury?"

Scowling at her, he shook his head. "Are you implying I'm mad?"

"No, that's not it! Look…" Taking off her glasses, she rubbed her face. "You know science and medicine have changed a lot since you were born, right?"

He nodded slowly.

"One thing we know is that just like you can have a physical illness or injury, you can also have a brain illness or injury. It's the same. And they can both be treated."

His expression remained wary.

"If Tyler was hit during a fight and broke his arm, would you be surprised if I put a cast on it and gave him medicine to help the bone heal and the pain go away?"

"No. Your medicine does truly seem like sorcery sometimes."

Kendall managed a small smile. "I know. Just like you can break a bone or get a bruise, you can also cause damage inside your head." It was the worst oversimplification she'd ever made, and given the kinds of things she usually had to explain to the Rangers, that was saying a _lot_. "Having terrible things happen to you can cause damage to your brain and sometimes you need help to get better. That's all."

His eyes searched her face and she waited, not terribly patiently. After a long time, he said quietly, "I was afraid I _was_ going mad. I thought I might hurt you in your sleep."

"Ivan…" Her fingers itched to reach out to him. "I'm okay. And you'll be okay as well."

"Truly?"

"Yes. There's medicine and meditation and all kinds of cognitive therapy stuff." She swallowed. "You've been through some truly awful experiences. I’m so sorry it never occurred to me that you might have been harmed. You just always seemed so happy that…I took it for granted."

"That was as I intended it." He gave her a soft smile and suddenly she saw how fake many of the previous smiles had been.

Kendall couldn't hold her own façade any longer and she flung herself at Ivan, trusting him to catch her. Burying her face between his neck and shoulder, she took a breath and tried to calm down. His arms were tight enough to be painful but she didn't complain, just let him hold on. And if he shook a bit in the process, nobody was going to mention it.

"You'll tell me everything," she mumbled against his collar. "Later. And we'll figure out a course of treatment."

"Yes, milady," he said into her hair.

She froze, then slowly lifted her head. "Oh god," she moaned. 

"What's wrong?" Ivan peered down at her, alarmed.

"Are we all going to end up with PTSD at the end of this? I'm going to have to go back and get a degree in clinical psychology just to deal with everyone."

Shaking his head, he pulled her close again. "One thing at a time, perhaps."

"Great, the guy with PTSD has better perspective on the situation than I do." Then another thought struck her. "I wonder what all the previous Rangers did. Maybe there's a Ranger psychologist already out there."

She could feel Ivan's sigh through her whole body. "One—"

"One thing at a time. Right. Got it."

\--end--


End file.
